Arab community leads protest convoys throughout country over rampant deadly crime |
Traffic snarl-ups were expected on key roads on Sunday as the Arab community was set to protest against a wave of deadly crime by sending slow-moving convoys to Jerusalem.
The convoys from around the country were to converge on the government quarter in the capital, where a protest rally was to be held, amid accusations that authorities are not doing enough to stop the violence.
Rampant homicides, mostly related to warring crime groups, have seen 12 people killed over the past week, bringing the toll since the start of the year to 39. That compares to 30 killings during the same period last year, which itself ended with a record number of homicides in the Arab community at 252.
The proliferation of deadly crime has sparked protests in Arab cities and towns over the past few weeks, reaching a high point at the beginning of the month with a mass Arab-Jewish protest in Tel Aviv to demand the government rein in the violence. Some have blamed far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees police, for the worsening situation. Under his watch, deadly crime has reached unprecedented heights.
The convoys are being organized by the High Follow-Up Committee for the Arab Citizens of Israel, an umbrella group for the community.
A convoy set out from the northern Arab city of Shfaram at 9 a.m., and will head........